Rex switched the
message off and spun the view cameras in a 360 degree arc, trying to
discern where said ‘impact’ might be coming from.

“Damn it!”

He quickly yanked
the control stick right, avoiding the flaming insertion pod, which
had been torn in half and was streaming various chemicals at its
rear. He vaguely recognized that it was Commander Fry’s pod as he
zipped past it.

RANK UPGRADED.
CONGRATULATIONS MAJOR REX PAIN.

“You have to be
kidding me.”

Rex sighed as he
stared at the screen. He was now the boss and the implications of
that message were sinking in slowly. Would they blame him for any
further losses? Rex didn’t care about what anyone in HQ thought,
but they had a habit of making commanders who burned their soldiers
up too quickly into cannon fodder. Rex was smart enough to know he
wouldn’t want that, even if the challenge of surviving such a move
excited him.

I can’t afford
to kiss the maiden of death yet.

Rex had priorities.
He wanted to win and winning meant living. He would not lose to a
little idiocy.

He quickly accessed
the command network and gave his orders.

"Change to the
new collective trajectory immediately and keep your formations tight.
We can't afford any stragglers."